Thunderstorms and Frozen Snow
by Lady Azar de Tameran
Summary: Fifty themes on Ukitake Jyuushiro and Kuchiki Rukia. Alpha, Beta, and Delta sets. Sequel to Before the Fall.
1. Alpha

**_Thunderstorms and Frozen Snow_**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Bleach_. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo.

**Warnings**: Unbelievable Sap, Spoilers for the Soul Society Arc and beyond

**All characters are depicted as legal age in this chapter and subsequent ones.**

**

* * *

#01 - Comfort**

It's surprising how at ease most people are with them; Jyuushiro supposes they're just relieved all those rumors about Shunsui and him aren't true.

**#02 - Kiss**

His are every bit as wonderful as he is; hers are a breath of life after an eternity of sickness.

**#03 - Soft**

His hair is as wonderful as she thought it would be.

**#04 - Pain**

He'd thought that nothing would ever hurt as much as when Kaien died, but that is only until he learns of her battle with the ninth Espada.

**#05 - Potatoes**

She cooks like a dream, and Shunsui teases that her skills in the kitchen are probably why Jyuushiro loves her so much.

**#06 - Rain**

It once made them melancholy, made them remember the worst night of their lives.

**#07 - Chocolate**

Hitsugaya can't quite figure out why Ukitake doesn't give him the Chappy-shaped candies anymore.

**#08 - Happiness**

Jyuushiro was always more content than anything else, but now, he has more joy than he ever imagined.

**#09 - Telephone**

The special cell phone Yoruichi snuck him courtesy of Kisuke is a godsend when he realizes that he can now talk to Rukia whenever he wants without those pesky official channels and fear of eavesdroppers.

**#10 - Ears**

Jyuushiro has the oddest shaped ears she has ever seen, and Rukia thinks that they are every bit as adorable as Chappy the Rabbit, much to Shunsui's amusement.

**#11 - Name**

She whispers it like a prayer.

**#12 - Sensual**

For someone with an ice-based zanpakutou, Rukia is exceptionally physical, something that Jyuushiro comes to appreciate even more as the years pass.

**#13 - Death**

They can and do talk about his illness and know where each of them stand on the issue, and she will take whatever time they are given.

**#14 - Sex**

Their first time is not as awkward as it should have been; instead, they mesh like they've always been doing this.

**#15 - Touch**

They always brush without realizing it, even years before they are officially together; there are little gestures to the shoulder, to the hand, an unconscious caressing of reiatsu.

**#16 - Weakness**

Even before Kaien's death, he had a soft spot for her, and that only grows into affection as he watches her struggle to piece herself back together.

**#17 - Tears**

The healers had always said he was sterile, but as she tells him the news, he can't help that he cries.

**#18 - Speed**

She's as good shunpo as she is at kidoh; Jyuushiro makes a game of chasing her through the house on lazy days.

**#19 - Wind**

A snowflake blows right into the center of his palm, and he can't help but wonder what Rukia is doing at that very moment, if Ichigo-kun is watching out for her in the living world.

**#20 - Freedom**

Rukia never realized that love would bring such liberty or that she would experience either with her captain.

**#21 - Life**

To Jyuushiro, it's far too precious to be wasted on stupidity and pointless excuses, so he is guilt free when he asks her to be his wife.

**#22 - Jealousy**

At first, her brother is beyond angry; Byakuya has only just gotten to know her and feels like his senpai is already trying to steal her away.

**#23 - Hands**

Rukia's fingers are remarkably soft, despite the sword calluses, and he can never quite figure out how she manages it.

**#24 - Taste**

Not surprisingly, he is literally sweet, most likely the result of all the candy he consumes.

**#25 - Devotion**

In all the years that Jyuushiro has lived, he's never before been in love.

**#26 - Forever**

Eternity is possible with a connection like theirs, and even death is not strong enough to stand in their way.

**#27 - Blood**

Kaien's blood on her hands is his worst memory; her blood on his is his worst nightmare.

**#28 - Sickness**

He hasn't been seriously ill since Aizen's betrayal, and he can't help but think that he has her to thank for that.

**#29 - Melody**

Jyuushiro likes to hum under his breath, and it is a habit she picked up and carried with her to the living world.

**#30 - Star**

Their first official date is spent on a picnic that lasts from midday until well after sunset, and they stay out even later watching a meteor shower.

**#31 - Home**

It's where there is a sweet smile and floaty, white hair waiting for her to return.

**#32 - Confusion**

Jyuushiro is just as bewildered as she is the first time he kisses her, wondering just what the hell he's doing.

**#33 - Fear**

Terror is the thought that she could outlive him by millennia and the recognition that she probably will.

**#34 - Lightning/Thunder**

She stares out Ichigo's window as the storm rages on; every flash only make her miss him even more.

**#35 - Bonds**

Some ties are stronger than life, than blood, than time itself; love weaves a connection between them that is even stronger than Byakuya's initial anger and the captain-commander's disappointment.

**#36 - Market**

Often, they like to discard their Shinigami robes and sneak out to the third district to walk around as a normal couple and avoid the odd looks some of the people in Seireitei still insist on giving.

**#37 - Technology**

Things in the living world are a puzzle to them both, something Ichigo and Kisuke find uproariously hilarious whenever they stop in for a visit.

**#38 - Gift**

His son is the most amazing thing Rukia ever could've given him, and it is only doubled when she brings their daughter into the world.

**#39 - Smile**

Shunsui accepts their relationship with a knowing smirk, while Ichigo merely nods and wishes her happiness; Byakuya eventually comes around after a night of heavy drinking, but out of everyone, only Renji's seems forced.

**#40 - Innocence**

Neither are quite as innocent as they appear; Rukia lost hers to an Inuzuri man who wouldn't take no for an answer, and Jyuushiro to the healers who told him to set all his affairs in order.

**#41 - Completion**

Their lives seemed to lack something before.

**#42 - Clouds**

They marry outside under the clear and flawless sky; Shunsui cries with joy so loudly that Byakuya is forced to use a binding spell so they can finish the ceremony.

**#43 - Sky**

Both love to sit out at night, staring up at the stars.

**#44 - Heaven**

It's the sound of his children's laughter as their mother helps them color their ridiculously bad drawings.

**#45 - Hell**

For a heart stopping instant, Jyuushiro thinks that she is dead, lost to him like so many others.

**#46 - Sun**

He's as bright and cheerful as the sun, but unlike it, his touch has never burned, only bringing warmth.

**#47 - Moon**

She is the moon: white and pure and more beautiful than all the stars in the sky around her, but for him, she is always within reach.

**#48 - Waves**

They both love watching the waves crash to the shore; Jyuushiro thinks that if they ever retire from the Gotei 13, they should move to the small inland sea in the tenth district of Rukongai.

**#49 - Hair**

Only the hair on his head is white, a fact that Shunsui is only too quick to share.

**#50 - Supernova**

It all ends, not with a bang and a blaze of glory, but quietly in the bed they have shared for so long.

* * *

Ever Hopeful,

_Azar_


	2. Beta

**_Frozen Spring_**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Bleach_. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo.

**Warnings**: Spoilers for the Soul Society Arc and beyond

AN: Mostly set at the beginning and early parts of their relationship.

**

* * *

#01 - Walking**

Her steps are soft and fleeting as she passes by his office, and it takes every ounce of her control not to go inside.

**#02 - Waltz**

Shunsui watches as they dance around each other, a single step forward for every one taken back.

**#03 - Wishes**

She writes his name on the slip of paper with no explanation needed.

**#04 - Wonder**

He stares with something bordering on awe as she approaches him, white and red kimono fluttering in the breeze.

**#05 - Worry**

It is just a crush, a stupid and juvenile crush, and there is a constant fear that someone will find out, or even worse, that her captain somehow knows.

**#06 - Whimsy**

The comb is the same shade as her eyes, and he buys it without second thought.

**#07 - Waste/Wasteland**

Las Noches is little more than a graveyard, but she searches frantically for even a whisper of him.

**#08 - Whiskey and Rum**

"Here," Shunsui offers, "have another; you look like you could use it."

**#09 - War**

It seems to go on forever, but for all that is lost, he gains so much.

**#10 - Weddings**

She is breathtaking, lovely beyond imaging, and Byakuya has to elbow him in the side to keep him from staring.

#**11 - Birthday**

He spends most of the day bleeding to death, but he awakes just before midnight with her tiny fingers squeezing his hand.

#**12 - Blessing**

"Treat her well; that is all that I ask," his kouhai murmurs with a halfhearted sigh.

**#13 - Bias**

Her favorite color is white, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why.

**#14 - Burning**

His lips press against her neck as he slides down to sit behind her.

#**15 - Breathing**

She exhales in little pants, skin sliding against skin and fingers curling into his hair.

**#16 - Breaking**

"Please stay, just stay with me."

**#17 - Belief**

He's the first man to ever tell her that she's beautiful.

**#18 - Balloon**

Her brother doesn't know who really filled his office, but Rukia would never tell on him.

**#19 - Balcony**

He quickly reassures her that no one can see them from here.

**#20 - Bane**

Personally, she thinks that this is the only time she has ever made the Kuchiki proud.

**#21 - Quiet**

They sit in silence, fingers entwined and eyes red-rimmed.

**#22 - Quirks**

Her artistic talents leave much to be desired, and he pays more in overdue book fees than she makes in a month.

**#23 - Question**

Her reply isn't unexpected, but his heart still beats painfully in his throat as he awaits an answer.

**#24 - Quarrel**

Even his infinite patience sometimes finds an end, but their rare arguments are thankfully short-lived.

**#25 - Quitting**

"I'm not certain that the thirteenth is the best place for me anymore," she admits without meeting his gaze.

**#26 - Jump**

Fortune often favors the bold, but the circumspect live longer.

**#27 - Jester**

"Hey, lover boy, there goes to the girl of your dreams."

**#28 - Jousting**

They don't spar; he's too worried that he will hurt her, and Rukia, that she will be a disappointment.

**#29 - Jewel**

Her blood is red, hair crusted and filthy, but the rise and fall of her chest is priceless.

**#30 - Just**

He's never before wanted to hurt someone, to gaze into Aizen Sousuke's face and make him bled.

**#31 - Smirk**

By the time they finally admit it, everyone else already knows.

**#32 - Sorrow**

Loss was what originally bound them together, but affection is a stronger tie than sadness.

**#33 - Stupidity**

He's torn between pride and heart-stopping agony when he learns that she fought and defeated not one Espada but two.

**#34 - Serenade**

Her voice is soft and lilting with the promise of tomorrow.

**#35 - Sarcasm**

Shunsui wiggles his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, but Jyuushiro only laughs when Rukia promptly shuts the door in his face.

**#36 - Sordid**

His sensei's eyes narrow dangerously at them, but when he turns away, Jyuushiro thinks that he might have seen a smile.

**#37 - Soliloquy**

She tells him of her time in Rukongai with a soft look, even as his heart breaks at all the words she doesn't say.

**#38 - Sojourn**

Her favorite place in all of Soul Society is still the old tree by the river, and Rukia grins when she beats him to the top.

**#39 - Share**

This tea is his favorite and so hard to come by, but he willingly pours her another cup.

**#40 - Solitary**

His absence is a sharp jab in her heart as she lies dying in the sand.

**#41 - Nowhere**

He appears over her like an avenging god, white hair luminescent with the force of his reiatsu and lightening reflected in his gaze.

**#42 - Neutral**

Surprisingly, it's Renji who takes their not-really-a-secret the hardest.

**#43 - Nuance**

Her embarrassment is obvious, but a kiss and nibble to her neck quickly make Rukia forget herself.

**#44 - Near**

She is just out of reach, just over the next ridge, but the journey there seems to take an eternity.

**#45 - Natural**

He tries to act nonchalant as she walks by but knows he's failed when Shunsui snorts and rolls his eyes.

**#46 - Horizon**

She watches the sun rise from beside his hospital bed, smoothing the covers with the back of her hand.

**#47 - Valiant**

Her vision is already tunneling in, but she manages to see him breeze through the second Espada as though he were standing still.

**#48 - Virtuous**

This is the first time she has ever really been with anyone, and she's more than mortified when he starts to undress her with slow and steady hands.

**#49 - Victory**

Byakuya's eye twitches when she breaks the news, but he inclines his head and allows her to do as she wishes.

**#50 - Defeat**

He knows that he has already lost, but the consolation prize is more than worth it.

* * *

Ever Hopeful,

_Azar_


	3. Delta

**_Caught in the Rain_**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Bleach_. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo.

**Warnings**: Spoilers for the Soul Society Arc and beyond

**

* * *

#01 - Air**

The breeze tugs at his haori as she smiles and takes his hand, fingers twining together.

**#02 - Apples**

Her mouth is soft and familiar against his, breath impossibly sweet.

**#03 - Beginning**

Jyuushiro doesn't know when it really started, but he swears that it will never end.

**#04 - Bugs**

The jigokuchou lands on his finger, dainty but strong, and he doesn't even need to hear its message to know who sent it.

**#05 - Coffee**

He always wakes first, bright and cheery and ready to face the day; she still can't figure out how he does it.  
**  
#06 - Dark**

Night has long ago fallen, but he doesn't move from his spot on the floor, her head cradled in his lap and his fingers stroking her hair.

**#07 - Despair**

Rukia loves him in the rain, loves that his tears flow just as freely as hers.  
**  
#08 - Doors **

Jyuushiro pauses in the doorway, watching her throw a pillow at his best friend and grinning as she proceeds to beat him with his own fan.

**#09 - Drink**

Shunsui brings him home, and it takes both of them to put him to bed, but thankfully, she's the only one he tries to kiss.  
**  
#10 - Duty**

Byakuya gives him a glare that could scorch ice, but it eases when he realizes just how happy this man makes his sister.

**#11 - Earth**

It's not Ichigo or even Ishida-san who is the last left, and he sits with her by Orihime-chan's bedside as they wait for her to come home.

**#12 - End**

Her kimono is white, hair elegantly styled, and eyes only for him.

**#13 - Fall**

She falls, falling, fallen… but he's always there to catch her when she needs him the most.  
**  
#14 - Fire**

Skin against skin and his name on her tongue as heat races through his veins.

**#15 - Flexible**

Shunsui's eyebrows wiggle with implications, but Jyuushiro just smirks.

**#16 - Flying**

He soars, legs wrapped around his waist and her mouth on his.

**#17 - Food**

He has trouble looking at strawberries and cream the same way afterwards.

**#18 - Foot**

Ichigo just shakes his head and reaches under the table to redirect the toes on his calf to the person next to him.  
**  
#19 - Grave**

They talk about it more than most couples, but he only ever sees determination on her face.  
**  
#20 - Green**

That particular shade is magnificent on him but even better as she takes it off.

**#21 - Head**

"I know that look," Shunsui comments, "and you always were a stubborn man once you have an idea stuck in your mind."  
**  
#22 - Hollow**

She wonders sometimes, thinks about what he would do if she doesn't make it home one day.  
**  
#23 - Honor**

"You will ask Rukia what she wants and will accept that answer and no other," Byakuya commands with his strictest tone.

**#24 - Hope**

They don't name him Kaien, but both swear that they can see the same fire burning behind his eyes.

**#25 - Light**

He knows that gleam, that cast to her face, and the way her lips pull as she gazes at him.  
**  
#26 - Lost**

One glance is enough to make her forget herself.

**#27 - Metal**

There's a sharp clink as her sword meets his, and he is gracious enough to give her time to recover.

**#28 - New**

Her little hands and fingers are so incredibly tiny, and he stares at her with awe as his wife gentle soothes the bundle in her arms.  
**  
#29 - Old**

Genryuusai-sensei gives him a look, but Jyuushiro can see the amusement tugging at his mouth.

**#30 - Peace**

He just lies next to her, watching the rise and fall of her chest.

**#31 - Poison**

The tea is clearly dangerous, but he still drinks what his daughter offers him, brow lifting as his wife laughs behind her hand.

**#32 - Pretty**

The other women glare, but Rukia smiles in return, fingers naughtily toying with the edge of his haori.  
**  
#33 – Rain**

Their oldest is born during a storm, her cries intermixed with the thunder and his heart all but bursting from his chest.

**#34 - Regret**

It all starts when she suggests that Shunsui might need a wife and only goes downhill from there.  
**  
#35 - Roses**

He has never once brought her flowers, instead choosing to plant a garden.  
**  
#36 - Secret**

"Go on," Ichigo tells her, knowing smile and all, "I can handle it for a day."  
**  
#37 - Snakes**

"Absolutely not," Rukia states with one hand on her hip, "and I don't care how much Shunsui begs."

**#38 - Snow**

He plays with the children, too much like one himself, and she notices him building a fort and launching projectiles at the unsuspecting.  
**  
#39 - Solid**

Renji is a captain in his own rights now but still very much a boy at heart, and she's glad when he is finally able to move on.

**#40 - Spring**

She feels the first kick just after the snows melt, and his face reflects her wonder.

**#41 - Stable**

They sit together at her brother's wedding, knowing that their time will be soon enough.  
**  
#42 - Strange**

Their youngest son is a bit too much like Shunsui for either one of them to be comfortable.

**#43 - Summer**

He thinks that she's the most beautiful then, lying in the soft grasses with her belly so swollen and full of life.

**#44 - Taboo**

After the war with Aizen, like with so many other the rules, Yamamoto-soutaichou just doesn't bother to enforce it.

**#45 - Ugly**

His hands are stained red, the blood not his, but she doesn't hesitate to reach for him.

**#46 - War**

The Kuchiki are thrilled to be rid of her, and for once, she doesn't fight to stay.  
**  
#47 - Water**

The bath she draws is warm, and he blushes as she slips in behind him.

**#48 - Welcome**

She stands on his porch, gaze hopeful, and he invites her in without question.  
**  
#49 - Winter**

It is still his favorite time of year, even though he doesn't need an excuse anymore to curl in closer.

**#50 - Wood**

The trees behind his home are in full bloom the first time he brings her there, and it is only centuries later that he realizes she has never truly left.

* * *

Ever Hopeful,

_Azar_


End file.
